Chapter 101: Back At the Academy

Leon returned to Grand-Phoenix Academy three days after going home.

He hadn’t really needed three days to recover. Once he had eaten, washed properly and slept, there wasn’t much wrong with him apart from the scrape on his palm. He simply stayed home for a while to spend time with his family and allowed the academy to sort out whatever it needed to on its end. He figured that if he stayed for a bit, the whole hype would have died down a little before he went back.

While home, he still drew from the Door every day, but nothing useful came out, so there was no reason to change anything in his summoner’s space.

As Leon approached the residence building, a student coming down the steps glanced at him, continued walking, then looked back after another two steps.

"Wasn’t that Leon Carter?" Someone asked behind him.

"Don’t ask me stupid questions, like you don’t know him." His friend answered, perhaps he wasn’t in a good mood that morning, or even he was tired.

Leon himself didn’t pay much attention as he continued on.

Two students sitting near the entrance stopped talking to watch him pass, and that reaction wasn’t much different upstairs. A boy Leon recognised from the training grounds greeted him, then stood there as though he was trying to think of something else to say.

Leon returned the greeting and continued walking.

Farther along the corridor, someone quietly told his friend that Leon was back.

’Apparently everyone needs to know.’ He thought to himself.

He opened the door to his room and found Dustin sitting at the desk with his phone, while Raul lay across his bed with one leg hanging over the side.

"Oh, you’re back," Dustin said as he turned towards him.

"Welcome back, big boy," Raul said with a smirk, sitting up. "How was it at home?"

"Quiet, for the most part," Leon answered as he placed his bag beside the bed.

"Sounds nice."

Dustin moved his chair out of the way so Leon could reach the wardrobe. His clothes had already been washed at home, so all he had to do was put them away.

"Is your hand better?" Dustin asked.

"Yes, it’s fine now."

Leon briefly showed him his palm. The dressing was gone, though the skin around the scrape was still slightly discoloured. "It was only a scratch afterall."

"Did anything happen while I was away?" He asked.

"Not much. We’ve mostly been training," Dustin said.

"When people aren’t stopping us to ask questions," Raul added.

"Questions about me?"

"No, they’ve all suddenly taken an interest in Dustin’s Golem."

Leon looked at him.

"Of course, about you," Raul continued. "Apparently, sharing a room with you means we know everything."

"Ahhh, must have been rough. What have you been telling them?"

"That you weren’t here, whatelse?"

"Well, they could have checked that for themselves," Leon said as he closed the wardrobe.

"A few asked if we could get you to show them your summons," Dustin said, turning his chair towards him.

"They can ask me when they see me."

"I think some of them are planning to."

Leon sat on his bed and emptied the rest of his bag, placing his charger beside the socket. Raul picked up his phone again, though it didn’t take long before the questions started.

"Those scouts you mentioned, the ones with the curved blades. Are they much like the Swordsman in a fight?"

"They fight differently. They’re faster than the Warriors and move around more easily. Wait, didn’t you see them during the tournament? Why’re you still asking?"

"Oh yeahhhh, haha, kinda forgot, you know?"

"Suree."

"Hahaha, come on, come one, I was too excited. Ok, what about the one in robes? I certainly haven’t seen that one before." Dustin said.

"That one’s a Mage. It’s Grade Three Peak. Don’t need to explain past that, do I?"

"WHOAAA..." Dustin exclaimed in a deep whisper.

"Yeah."

"What sort of magic does it use?"

"Fire magic. It can also put up a barrier and use detection."

Leon went ahead and explained the abilities when Dustin asked for more details.

"But for the barrier, can’t something just go around it, then?" Raul asked.

"Yes. I’d need something else to stop them. Otherwise, the Mage would have to dismiss the barrier and cast it again."

"Does the detection only work on monsters?" Dustin asked.

"No, it can find people too. That helped in the dungeon, though finding someone behind a wall didn’t mean I could get to them."

"Ahhh, makes sense, make sense. So that’s how you found everyone," Raul said, resting his arms on his knees.

"Only some of them. Most found their way back without me."

"Even outside, you wouldn’t think so from the videos. Every time I saw another one, you seemed to be somewhere else."

"You were seeing the summons. I was only in one place."

With recordings coming from several streets, Leon understood how people could get that impression, but he hadn’t suddenly gained the ability to be in two places at once.

"I’d still rather have them fighting than go at those things myself," Raul said.

"So would I."

Leon certainly wasn’t going to argue with that.

Dustin glanced towards the door before finally asking what had probably been on his mind since the first video showed a second armoured skeleton.

"Umm, which of the two Swordsmen have we been fighting?" Dustin asked.

"The first one."

"How strong is the second?"

"They’re the same Grade. There isn’t much difference in strength."

"What about how they fight?"

"Well, they both use swords," Raul said.

"I know they use swords. I’m asking Leon."

"They’re both skilled," Leon answered as he leaned against the wall. "If you want to know which would win against the other, I haven’t had them fight."

"Could we try fighting the second one next time?"

"Sure, whatever makes your boat float."

"Just the second one," Dustin added after thinking about it.

"Of course I wasn’t going to send both at you." Leon gave him a look as he said that.

"I thought I should make that clear."

They continued asking about the other undead after that, and Leon didn’t bother answering them to satiate their curiosity.